EP2040597A discloses a handheld vacuum cleaner comprising a cyclonic separating unit that extends alongside the handle. A difficulty with the vacuum cleaner is that the cyclonic separating unit obstructs access to narrow gaps, for example gaps formed between items of furniture or appliances and walls. In order to clean between such gaps, a cleaning tool such as a wand or a specially designed cleaning nozzle must be used.
GB2484146A discloses a stick vacuum cleaner comprising a handheld vacuum cleaner which is similar to the vacuum cleaner disclosed in EP2040597A. The stick vacuum cleaner is formed by attaching a wand to the vacuum cleaner and a cleaner head to the opposite end of the wand. Such stick vacs are increasingly been used as an alternative to conventional upright and cylinder vacuum cleaners. During use, the cleaner head is steered over a surface being cleaned by rotation of the wand about its axis. In doing so, the axis of the separator is rotated away from the vertical, which can reduce separation efficiency of the separator and lead to an increase in re-entrainment of dirt from the dirt collector. Furthermore, rotation of the separator from side to side increases the moment of the separator about the wand axis, therefore requiring an increase in torque to manoeuvre the vacuum cleaner as the angle of the separator with respect to the vertical increases.
The present invention addresses the problems associated with the prior art outlined above.